undergraduate research

undergraduate research

Three graduate students and one undergraduate student from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences were awarded competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. Recipients include Lyndsey Denis, master’s degree student in materials science and engineering; Jennifer DiStefano, undergraduate student in materials science and engineering; Jesus Ruiz-Plancarte, Ph.D. candidate in meteorology; and Nisha Sheth, master’s degree student in materials science and engineering.

Three students received top recognition during the Health and Human Development Alumni Society Research Poster Competition. Kenya Crawford, Danielle Kovalsky and Chen Zhuang received first, second and third place, respectively.

Penn State Wilkes-Barre hosted its first Undergraduate Research Day, a showcase of student work, on Wednesday, April 29, 2015. The event, which was co-sponsored and supported by Penn State Wilkes-Barre and the Penn State University Libraries, consisted of 61 posters created by 107 students, highlighting their research this semester. Students, faculty and staff converged in the campus’s historic Hayfield House to share, learn and admire the results of their scholarship.

Penn State students are on the forefront of helping the United States government tackle the very real issue of slavery in and beyond Pennsylvania — and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is listening. DHS has identified Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) as a pilot school in its Blue Campaign to raise awareness about human trafficking, and undergraduate researchers are presenting a project to DHS officials at a Blue Campaign stakeholders event today (April 30) in the nation’s capital.

A research collaboration between a first-year Penn State Abington student and a faculty mentor yielded intriguing findings in the link between maternal depression and problem behaviors in teens. Their study claimed one of the top prizes at the Abington College Undergraduate Research Activities (ACURA) annual poster fair.

A Penn State Abington biology professor and two student researchers identified a cellular pathway that might improve outcomes in elderly populations suffering from heat-related illness or hyperthermia. A peer-reviewed journal recently accepted their manuscript for publication.

Penn State Abington sophomore Sasha Thomas investigated the social phenomenon known as the "Better Than Average Effect," zeroing in on dog and cat owners as her project for Abington Undergraduate Research Activities. Her findings? Dog owners tend to think their canines are above average, while cat owners don't.

Lexie Herdt has always been fascinated with how the weather impacts people. “I have family members who have asthma and respiratory issues, and when I was growing up, I saw a lot of family who live in the Philadelphia region affected by high ozone levels,” says Herdt.

A psychological organization selected research developed by Penn State Abington students for its recent conference. They answered questions and engaged with pre-eminent scholars during "enormously important" experience fostered by Abington College Undergraduate Research Activities (ACURA).

Eight Penn State undergraduate student research teams from five campuses represented Penn State as the largest Pennsylvania college or university contingent at the Capitol Rotunda on March 3 in Harrisburg. They presented their research with students from more than 100 Pennsylvania colleges and universities as part of the Undergraduate Research at the Capitol-Pennsylvania event.

The Office of Undergraduate Education is accepting applications for summer 2015 Erickson Discovery Grants to support undergraduate student engagement in original research, scholarship, and creative work under the direct supervision of a faculty member.

Doctors told the Henrici family that their matriarch was suffering from multiple sclerosis, but the resulting treatments didn't seem to help her condition. Ryan, who was a high school swimmer, was looking to continue swimming in college, but felt a conviction to find a way to help his mother.

Danhao “Spark” Ma, a fifth-year senior majoring in energy engineering, got involved in undergraduate research as a freshman at Penn State Altoona. Based on his four years of experience at the University, Ma, an international student from Shanghai, shares five pieces of advice for new college students.